I. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a layout block useful for laying out a building plan onto a construction site or building. The block, in general, can include a built-in chalk line notch or notches, and it can include a laser sighting feature and/or an arc-drawing guiding pin, a tape measure notch, and so forth. In a particular embodiment, the block has a triangular shape.
II. Problems and Known Art
In the customary practice of laying out a building plan onto a construction site or building, a job typically takes two men: one who holds the distal end of a chalk line at a predetermined place on the site or building, and another who holds the proximal end of the chalk line at another predetermined place; upon proper alignment of the chalk line, it is snapped, and a first layout line is made. A second layout line parallel to the first is then laid out and snapped. This method is repeated until the site or building layout is complete. In an effort to reduce the manpower required to do the job, the current alternative to the foregoing has one man laying out the site or building: carrying with him a five-gallon bucket full of water, cement or the like ballast, he uses the heavy bucket (and the force of gravity) to hold the distal end of the chalk line at a place on the site or building, runs out the chalk line, holds it at a proximal point, and snaps it. He then goes to the bucket, measures a distance from the first layout line, lifts the bucket, moves it and the distal end of the chalk line, securing that end of the chalk line between the bucket and the ground or floor, and goes to, measures and sets and snaps by the proximal end of the chalk line so as to make the second layout line parallel with the first. Such methods, by requiring manual measurements at the distal end of the chalk line, inherently have a propensity to introduce error into the layout. Moreover, the first method takes a relative abundance of manpower to accomplish, and the second, although it would reduce the manpower required to do the job, is cumbersome to carry out and by its clumsiness can both take an inordinate amount of time and propagate additional errors into the layout. Furthermore, if an arc is to be struck on a layout site, for example, on the floor, the workman habitually drives a nail into the floor, and placing the eye of a tape measure end to mate with the head of the nail, and pulling on the tape with a pencil held against the tape at a predetermined distance, strikes the arc. Although that arc-making technique is fairly adequate for many applications, difficulties arise in accurately setting the nail, as if it is not set right the first time moving it close by the first attempt can be difficult if not impossible owing to the first nail hole, and in being able to strike an arc over a floor type surface into which a nail cannot or should not be placed, for example, in dirt, concrete or a finished hardwood floor. In addition, other construction layout chores such as those using a tape measure, those in which a height on a wall is laid out or checked, and so forth, are encountered, and these typically involve xe2x80x9cfree handxe2x80x9d employment of the rule or line.
It would be desirable to improve over the foregoing.
Certain construction, drawing, and layout aids are known. For example, art disclosed within the following U.S. patents may be of possible interest with respect to the present invention:
U.S. Pat. No. 233,618: Draftsman""s Triangle.
U.S. Pat. No. 299,625: Device for Laying Out Tennis Grounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,225,464: Drafting Instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,271,470: Carpenter""s Marking Line.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,643,695: Frame Square and Gauge.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,843,347: Support for Engineer""s Plumb Rod and Highway Warning Signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,836: Line Holding Device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,890: Layout and Marking Tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,471: Measuring Tape and Chalk Line Holding Tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,607: Carpenter""s Tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,809: Planizing Target.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,666: Universal Framing Layout Tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,933: Protractor-chalkline.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,477: Chalk Line Framing Square.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,507: Layout Device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,158: Wall Marking Layout Device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,015: Construction Framing Square.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,975: Remotely Controlled Self-leveling Laser Instrument with Modular Capability.
No. 5,893,214: Measuring Ball Reflector.
French patent 790,558 (1935) may be of possible interest as well. The foregoing art, however, does not provide a basic, convenient, practical solution to the aforementioned problems in the art of construction layout, and, the present invention aside, there remains in the art a long-felt need to effectively address and ameliorate, if not completely overcome, such problems and other difficulties known generally in the art of construction layout.
In general, provided hereby is a construction layout block comprising a triangularly shaped body having a triangular bottom, a base wall and two side walls extending up from said bottom, generally with junctures formed about intersections of said base wall and said side walls, termed base wall angle junctures, and of said side walls, termed an apex juncture; and, preferably, an artifice capable of holding a chalk linexe2x80x94which may include a first artifice capable of holding the chalk line positioned inclusively from a first of the base wall angle junctures to the apex juncture, and at least one second artifice capable of holding the chalk line positioned from a second of the base wall angle junctures and up to but excluding the apex juncture. Also preferably, a laser target notch is present, especially one having an intrinsic laser card sight on a wall thereof. The block has relative immovability to resist a force of pulling on a chalk line or tape measure when such is/are attached to the block during layout. Beneficially, the layout block is generally in the form of a right isosceles triangular prism. Additional features may be present, for example, additional artifices for holding a chalk line, a rear reference system, a carrying handle, a ruler scale, an intrinsic level, a contrivance capable of holding a tape measure by its distal end, and so forth and the like. Further, a plastic-coated construction layout block, which need not have the laser target notch or necessarily be triangular in shape, is also provided. Compare, the aforesaid provisional patent application Nos. 60/185,147; 60/191,277; and 60/205,119.
Provided in addition are further embodiments of a construction layout block. These can include those in which a line-securing artifice is present along a vertical portion of the block, and those in which an alignment groove is present, say, along the top of the block. Additional embodiments are extant.
The invention is useful in site and building layout.
Significantly, by the invention, a construction site or building can be laid out by one man, and this with a high degree of accuracy and efficiency. The contrivance capable of holding a tape measure by its distal end can greatly facilitate measurement of distances from layout lines, walls, and so forth, and suitably embodied can greatly facilitate the striking of an arc quickly and accurately. The built-in laser target sight can facilitate the layout as well. Thus, whereas with the customary methods it can take two men one or two days to layout a building site, with the present invention the layout of the same building site may take one man one day. The invention is simple to make, and simple and accurate to use, and durable as well as practical.
Numerous further advantages attend the invention.